Visiting This Christmas Season: Know Before You Go
Discover the many ways to save on Biltmore tickets!
Which of our splendid overnight options meets your specific needs?
Embrace the joy and the wonder: our beloved holiday tradition and Chihuly at Biltmore.
Discover Biltmore’s rare and beautiful objets d’art—furnishings, paintings, tapestries, and more.
Vice President of Biltmore House Guest Experience & Operations and great-great-grandson of George and Edith Vanderbilt
“I find stillness in our fall gardens as I think about the recovery journey our region is on.
While the estate is closed, I hope these pictures help brighten your day, even if just for a moment. It is truly a testament to the hard work of our teams before this storm hit and to Frederick Law Olmsted’s visionary design so many years ago. I am reminded that these spaces can present such beauty after such tragedy.
I’m grateful for Biltmore’s dedicated employees who are working so hard every day to help us prepare to reopen soon. Together, I know our mountain community will regrow into something even more spectacular.”
In front of the Conservatory, the Walled Garden’s patterned beds brim with colorful full-bloom Mums, artfully arranged and planted to delight and dazzle the eye. Image taken October 2024.
Bright orange Mums bloom beautifully in Biltmore’s Walled Garden, begging a closer look. Image taken October 2024.
One of Biltmore’s talented hard-working gardeners takes a solitary stroll within the Walled Garden. Image taken October 2024.
A fallen yellow leaf adorns similarly-hued Mums amid the many that bloom within Biltmore’s Walled Garden. Image taken October 2024.
Among the stunning variety of fall plantings that fill Biltmore’s Walled Garden, bright crimson and orange Mums steal the show. Image taken October 2024.
Peeking from behind the Tulip poplars, the south side of Biltmore House is visible from this peaceful vantage point within the Italian Garden. Image taken October 2024.
On a clear October day in Biltmore’s Antler Hill Village, bright orange Mums pay colorful tribute to the vibrant Chihuly sculpture rising above them. Image taken October 2024.
Summer’s hot days and thunder showers usually become far less frequent as the season draws to a close. By mid- to late September, the estate’s late summer garden annuals may perk up with the cooler nights, only to be replaced with colorful chrysanthemums in October. In Antler Hill Village, wave upon wave of sunflowers rise skyward and share their cheerful full-bloom faces. Depending on weather conditions, the estate’s yellow buckeyes can show early leaf coloration, and dogwoods may develop light shades of red, hints that fall will soon be upon us in Asheville. Ironweed flowers and late summer goldenrods also signal summer’s finale, as butterflies enjoy their final sips of sugary nectar. Much to the delight of squirrels and turkeys getting ready for winter, acorns and hickory nuts begin to drop to the forest floor.
The much-anticipated arrival of peak fall color is influenced by day length and temperatures, which can vary from year to year. Similar to the way chilly autumn days prompt us to grab that flannel shirt or light sweater, these cool temperatures trigger the leaf chemistry behind the brilliant color transformations we see.
Fall floral displays, carefully planned to provide good color in October, usually reach peak bloom toward the middle of the month. As our gardeners plant out fall floral designs in the display beds, the first true autumn leaf color begins to show in the native dogwood and sourwood trees that line estate roads and pastures. Their flares of red will deepen as the month progresses. Yellow poplars and sweet birches will offer up amber hues. These early trees hold color through the season and add to peak color at the end of October with sugar maples, red maples, hickory, and gum trees giving the best show. Guests walking the gardens in October enjoy some of the best fall color up close on Japanese maples, woody shrubs, ferns, and other perennials.
Be sure to visit the gardens to see and smell the Japanese Katsura tree; as this striking tree’s heart-shaped leaves turn a buttery yellow, they give off a scent like cotton candy.
At 2,000 feet in elevation with spectacular views of the nearby 5,000-foot+ elevations of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, Biltmore is the perfect place to experience an abundance of fall color from October through early November.
With the arrival of November, red and white oaks and fall grasses in the Deer Park below Biltmore House represent the autumn season’s final bow. Vibrant Carolina allspice, fothergilla shrubs, and oakleaf hydrangeas shine brightly amid the evergreens. Chilly breezes send leaves adrift, covering the roads and trails and creating a protective blanket for wildlife throughout the winter. Sugar and red maples continue to impress with their fiery oranges and reds. Gold-covered hickories turn to bronze, beeches give the forests a warm glow, and Japanese maples are absolutely brilliant: their annual show never disappoints. Colorful winter berries are now exposed on many trees and shrubs for the birds that will brighten winter days.
With fall’s end, we shift gears to fine-tune our appreciation of winter’s pristine beauty, the approach of the holiday season, and the magic of Christmas at Biltmore.